Merchandise container



July 16, 1935. e. c. WOODRUFF 2,003,605

MERCHANDISE CONTAINER Filed Sept. 2, 1951 s Sheets-Sheet 1 n] n 5 "W W N y 935. G. c. WOODRUFF ,0 8,05

MERCHANDISE CONTAINER Filed Sept. 2, 1951 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 gwue ntoz G/P/i/vW/W 6: WOOOPOFF y 1935. e. c. WOODRUFF MERCHANDISE CONTAINER Filed Sept. 2, 1931 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 gwowntoo 52%; C liooim Patented July 16, 1935 Graham 0, Woodru ir, Bronxvilleli N. Y assign'or to TheL. O. L. Corporation, a corporation of Delaware Application September 22,1931, Serial 560,831, I

' ZClaims'. ((31.1053-366) Y My invention relates to containers for the shipping of carriers of less than car'load lots, as disclosed in my Patent No. 1,80'7,268,'May 26, 1-931, and reissue patent of Alfred H. Smith No.' l6,073,

5 May 19, 1925.

The primary object of my inventionis to strengthen such containers. v I

A further object of my invention is to improve the door post of the container. 7

A still further object of my invention is' to provide means to protect the door fixtures against damage in loading and unloading the containers on the carrier; and with these, and other objects in view, my invention consists of the parts, and combination of parts, hereinafter pointed out.

In the drawings: v

Figure 1 is a front elevation of the door side of a container embodying my invention. 1

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the container;

Figure 3 is an enlarged detail transverse sectional view through the door, door posts and guides.

Figure 4 is a detail sectional view at the eaves of the container with a lifting link in locked position.

Figure 5 is an enlarged detail view of a portion of the door.

Figure 6 is a transverse sectional view of Figure 5.

The reference numeral l designates the container having top, bottom and four walls, one wall having a door opening in which the door 2 fits when in closed position, said container, preferably having legs 3.

The door 2 has suitably secured to it substantially L shaped bars 4, 5, spaced back from the marginal edge of the door, as clearly shown in Figure 3, one arm of the bars projecting inwardly from the door, said bars serving to rigidify the door. Wood, or other suitable, strips 6, I, are secured to the door and bars and extend to the marginal edges of the door as shown, the strip at the free edges of the door being bevelled, as shown in Figure 3, to make a tight closure with a wedging action. It will be noted that the strip 1 does not extend quite to the extreme marginal edge of the door, the purpose of which is to permit the extreme edge portion of the door to overlap the joint and bear against the door post wood filler 8.

The door posts 9, in, are of substantially Z bars, the outer flanges of which are suitably secured to the container wall, while the inner flanges ll, l2, project toward the door opening. The 2 bar door post 9 is further secured to the container wa'll'by a substantially i. shaped bar l3 to further I rigidify the hinge door post .9. Filler blocks, l4, 8., preferably wood, are positioned in these Z bars, as 'showninFigure 3,- the filler 3 being bevelled complementarily. with :the bevel of the door .15

filler l, as shown inFigure 3, .and, as above stated,

the free edge portion of the door 2 overlaps the filler block 8.

Thehi-nge ii of the door is secured to the container vwall, door post and door,preferablyw as -1 shown in=Figure 3., and the door is provided with the additional. fixtures, such as the locking bolts I 6 adapted to engage the keepersl'l, said locking bolts having operating handles 18,, provided with elongated slots 19, adapted to receive the 5 eye bolts 20- (on the door), when in lockedposition, said handlesbeingsecured to saideye bolts by .any suitable locks. To.prevent the -eye bolt .frombeing damaged I provide a-g-uard 2 l secured to the door, which,as shown in, Figure 6, projects 20 outwardly from the door beyond the outermost portion of the eye bolt.

The doors and door fixtures of containers of this character are frequently damaged in loading and unloading them from the carrier, and to 25 overcome this I secure a ribbed wall brace 22 to the wall of the container on each side of the door opening, which is suitably secured to the container wall and the door posts 9 and I0. While the braces shown are of substantially U bar shape 30 with base flanges, it is, of course, obvious that any commercial shape may be used which will function as a brace. It will be seen, more clearly, in Figure 3 that the ribs of the braces 22 extend outwardly from the wall of the container beyond 35 the vertical plane of the door fixtures whereby they will contact with arm obstruction and save the fixtures from damage. These outstanding ribs of the braces 22 also function as guides to guide the containers into position on the carrier. 40

The door wall is further strengthened by the ribbed wall braces 23 which extend from the. outer lower corners of the container upwardly and inwardly toward the tops of the vertical braces 22, said braces being connected together 5 at their upper ends, to each pair of which merged and connected upper ends the lifting link bracket 24 is secured, so thatforce of lifting on the lifting link bracket is communicated through the braces 22, 23, to the bottom structure of the con- 5Q tainer at the lower corners and on each side of the door, whereby liability of the door posts being deflected from their normal vertical positions is eliminated, thus insuring against the door binding in the doorway. 55

The braces 22 and 23 are tied together inter mediate their ends by means of cross brace 25, said cross brace 25 also being secured to the container wall.

The container is provided with lifting links 26 pivotally secured to the brackets 24. It is desirable to secure these links against flapping against the container while in transit, and according to my. invention I provide a. spring, or other, clip 21 on top of the container under which the link 26 may be locked while not in use.

What I claim is:

1. A container of the character describedtha ing a doorway in one of the walls thereof, of less width than said wall and terminating belowthe top of the container, door post's extending along the inner sides of the wall at the sides of the container, a door for closing the doorway, hinges and locking devices for the door mounted upon the outer side of the door and wall portions at opposite sides of lthe doorway, :a pair of vertical braces extending along and secured to the outer surface of the wall adjacentthe sides of the doorway and having their upper ends overlapping the upper portion of said wall above the top of the doorway, a pair of diagonal braces secured to the wall portions at opposite sides of ,thedoorway and extending from the adjacent corners at the bottom of the container upwardly and inwardly and having their upper ends lapping and riveted with the lapping first upper ends of the vertical braces to the said wall above the top of the doorway, both the vertical braces and the diagonal braces being of channeled form and having their channels arranged to form reinforcing ribs extending outwardly from the wall of the container beyond the vertical plane of said wall locking devices and hinges and serving as guards to protect said parts from injury and as guide shoes for guiding the container in moving the same on and off a car, the upper ends of the braces of one pair being bent downwardly to form ears overlapping and riveted to the lapping ends of the braces, and lifting links held by said ears.

2. A container of the character described having a doorway in one of the walls thereof, of less width than said wall and terminating below the top of the container, door posts extending along the inner sides of the wall at the sides of the container, a door for closing the doorway, hinges and locking devices for the door mounted upon the outer side of the door and wall portions at opposite sides of the doorway, a pair of vertical braces extending along and secured to the outer surface of the wall adjacent the sides of the doorway and having their upper ends overlapping the upper portion of said wall above the top of the doorway, a pair of diagonal braces secured to the wall portions at opposite sides of the doorway and extending from the adjacent corners at the bottom of the container upwardly I and inwardly and having their upper ends lapping and riveted with the lapping first upper ends of the vertical braces to the said wall above the top of the doorway, both the vertical braces and the diagonal braces being of channeled form and having their channels arranged to form reinforcing ribs extending outwardly fromthe wall locking devices and hinges and serving as guards to protect said parts from injury and as guide and channeled cross braces secured to the wall portions between the vertical anddiagonal braces at opposite sides of the, doorway and riveted thereto.

GRAHAM C. WOODRU'FF. 

